–– Richard Peskett
The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
It has been well said that “time and truth go hand in hand.” The Lord Jesus said, “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light” (Luke 8:17).
John Smyth served as a leader in Christian youth camps in the UK for many years. But he misused his position and violently abused many boys. When his behaviour was brought to light in 1982, he fled to Zimbabwe, where, in 1986, he founded a Christian youth organisation called Zambesi Ministries. Again he subjected boys to appalling abuse. This too eventually came to light, and so he moved with his family to South Africa in 2001. He died in Cape Town in 2018.
What is the relevance of this today? Well, it was this past week that the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, commented on what had happened. He bemoaned the neglect of the church. He said that the Anglican church had failed to protect congregants from abuse. Leaders in the Anglican communion are seeking ways to prevent such grievous events from happening again.
What can we learn from these tragic events? Here are three lessons.
Firstly, believers in the local church are accountable to each other. If someone in your local church acts in a way that dishonours Christ—if you are a believer—then you have the responsibility of going to him (or her) and rebuking him (Luke 17:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15. See also Leviticus 19:17). This is not the responsibility of church leaders only. This is the loving thing to do. We do not go on a witch-hunt, but when our brothers and sisters are “caught” or “ensnared” in transgression, we speak the truth to them in love—if they confess their sin and are willing, we help them to put off the sin and to walk in the light. This is for their good, for their joy, and for the honour of Christ, the Head of the church. There were many in the church who knew John Smyth and were aware of his sin, but they failed to rebuke him, and his sin persisted. Many young men were sinned against. We read in the Proverbs, “It is not good to be partial to the wicked, or to deprive the righteous of justice” (Proverbs 18:5).
Some people may have confronted Smyth, yet he continued in his sin. What should Christians who confront sinning church members do? Scripture is clear. If they do not repent, the Lord Jesus said the believer should take two or three witnesses along—this is a “search and rescue” mission. For the well-being of the one caught in sin and for the purity of the church, the believer pursues the erring friend. Hopefully, they will see the seriousness of their sin, and repent. If necessary they might receive biblical counselling, but the believer encourages the wayward brother or sister in the hope of restoring them (When sin is so serious and harmful to others, as became apparent, it should be reported to the police—they bear the sword for cases such as this).
But what if they still will not listen? Again, Scripture is clear. Matthew 18:17. The church must be told so that they can all go after this sheep that is in danger. However, if the transgressor does not listen to the church, they are to be excommunicated. Since they are behaving like an unbeliever, they must be treated like an unbeliever—they must not be allowed to remain a member of the church. For the sake of Christ’s name, which must not be dragged through the mud, and for the sake of the church, which must not be led astray, the unrepentant member should be “delivered over to Satan,” in the hope that they will repent and flee to Christ. (See 1 Corinthians 5:1–8).
Secondly, churches must exercise church discipline. There was a notable lack of such discipline within the church of England, which is why the Archbishop of Canterbury has now felt the need to resign. A tolerance towards sin is ungodly–and demonstrates a lack of concern for God’s glory.
Thirdly, within the local church, there should be a plurality of suitably-qualified leaders that lead and protect the flock (see 1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9; Acts 20:28–30; 1 Peter 51–4). These elders should be equipped to serve the church, and that means knowing how to disciple believers struggling with sin and being able to train others in the church to do likewise (Ephesians 4:12). Leaders in the church should be humble and godly, setting an example to those less mature in Christ. John Smyth was not qualified to have any leadership role within the church or in a para-church organization. He was guilty of physically and sadistically beating young men over whom he had pastoral oversight. He did it for decades; in the UK, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Apparently, he did this to help the young men have victory over their sins. But God’s Word tells us that if we are in Christ we are no longer slaves to sin. We share in Christ’s victory over sin. We have all that we need for life and godliness in the Scriptures, that by the grace of God, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we might grow in Christ-likeness.
We should not resort to pragmatic or worldly remedies for dealing with sin, such as bullying, psychology, casting out demons, or spraying Doom (insecticide).
The ungodly testimony of John Smyth has discouraged many. Many were led into sin by him. The church has been ridiculed. And Christ belittled. Why? Because the church ignored the biblical instructions on how to deal with sin.